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I have had a rough day and couldn't get centered with just breathing or affirmations. Almost as soon as I started with the first ear, tears began welling up and they released when I moved to my other ear. I got clarity about what's going on internally and I'm so grateful.
It also helps a lot if you make your exhalation longer than your inhalation. This calms the nervous system. The longer you do this the stronger the calming effect and the better you will feel.
@@annehedonia156 It sends a signal to the brain and body that you are safe and it literally creates a feeling of peace and calm if it is done for long enough. The longer the time period the more powerful the effect.
@@annehedonia156 It's interesting you say that because I have learned the opposite from my respiratory physio. The CO2 levels are too low and cause multiple effects physiologically, including anxiety and the oxygen in the blood not able to be released to the organs efficiently. And when your brain gets used to these lower levels of CO2, trying to correct your breathing can cause the sensation of air hunger. I was taught breathing exercises to correct a dysfunctional breathing pattern. And this also improved my asthma.
I had a triggering incident two days ago that I haven't been able to calm myself down from completely. I've meditated, exercised, hummed, tapped, etc. - nope. But the finger in the ear did the trick in less than a minute? Oh my gosh. This one's going in my quiver forever. Thank you!
A lot could be learned from babies/toddlers. I’ve seen them do this naturally during times of frustration. It’s not always a possible earache/infection, sometimes they are just trying to self regulate.
Before I watch, I'm gonna wonder if this is gonna be the "Humming" technique. Where you hum in a low pitch, and it vibrates in your throat and chest, stimulating the vagus nerve. 'Cause that's something I figured out on my own, and then I learned it was an actual self soothing technique.
This works. I now know why I instinctively would pull down on my ears when very nervous. This is the relief I was looking for. Thanks for sharing the proper technique. I’ll be sharing with my kids!!!
This is so useful! Dr. Lepera gets the award for simple hacks (& short, helpful videos) that anyone can implement at any time, any place!! EASY! Thank you, thank you, thank you!!
Funny thing. My dad has always done this with his ears unknowingly 😂😂 i see him doing it as a habit and think the body and mind are so ingenious. We've been doing acupressure forever and we didn't even realize it❤
It works!🤗 And I have BAD post-viral PoTS/Dysautonomia AND PTSD/GAD, post COVID!! It works!!! Thank you, dear one! Your videos have been so helpful for me! Glimmer sparkle!!!💗💗💗
I'm an older woman and I don't have anxiety, but I learned years/decades ago that pushing or squeezing just above my nose, kind of between my eyebrows kind of had this effect. A friend of mine who was a therapist told me I was activating or stimulating my parasympathetic nervous system. When I would get stressed at work I would do it, and it does have a calming/relaxing effect. I tried this right now (although I'm experiencing no stress) and I think it would work the same for me. Great tip!
That actually felt amazing! It's a weekend, but I pictured myself turning my work camera off during a meeting just to do this to get centered before continuing to engage.
Im gonna try this tomorrow and let you know. I got lots of anxiety and depression because of IBS- C, and it literally takes toll on my mental health without my knowledge. This really affects for daily life and my brain's foggy.😢😢
In the middle of buying a house and I've been making most of my phone calls on lunch breaks at work... Needless to say I have been crazy stressed out! Clicked on RU-vid to find some relaxing music and saw this... WOW... It works! I felt the tension release from my neck immediately. I will definitely be using this more over the next few weeks.
The most obvious change you feel is instantly on placing the finger in and pulling down. I felt something inside me ‘unlatch’ and the breathing works great with this. Feeling better. Thank you Dr. Lepera xx
Lol 😂😂😂 When I've gotten myself into the pre-rage , or found myself being driven by outside forces to mass confusion which feels like impending melt down, I've pulled on my ears! I go through stages of can't stand my hair touching my ears or face... Thanks to a workplace injury and concussion from that incident ive experienced symptoms I'm hearing from within these types of videos. TY girls ❤
It diverts your awareness from one specific, non-thinking place to another, which utilizes both different senses and different parts/sides of the brain. This plus the breathing triggers the relaxation response or parasympathetic nervous system, which is a function of the vagus nerve that runs the length of your spine. It's like signalling your body to chill.
I have been riding high on anxiety this week. In April 2024, I titrated down from klonopin.75mg to .5 mg ( 3 years ago I started my titration from 2 mg to 1.5 mg over the course of 2 years. The next titration-One year on 1mg. I didn’t have support so I took it very slow due to the 30 years on 2 mg). The last titration January 2024 1 mg to .75mg. This titration was difficult but at three months I thought I was ready for the next drop. It was too soon. My body didn’t like it and has responded quickly to panic. The trigger this week was my husband being laid off from work due to age discrimination. That sent me over the top to my prior days without medication. Your vagel nerve technique worked. Gigantic Gratitude🎉🎉🎉
I've done things instinctively, but never hold it like you did before. Now I understand why. Also, my toddler does this when she's stressed or overwhelmed. Makes total sense now. Thank you!!!
Wow! This is so good. I noticed as well that I've been tugging at and messing with my ears for as long as I can remember. ! think that I've been seeking this reset my whole life without realizing it consciously. Thank you so much!
Weird. Was having a rough day, calmed down a bit, and came across this video. Surprisingly, I teared up during the 1st side! Then, more calm. Thanks! ❤
Thank you, Nicole, for all of your helpful videos! I will try this in one of the next situations. Can it also help in flashback situations which trigger me leaving me helpless and worthless? I have CPTSD. Well, I guess I should try. 😅
Thank you. There's a technique to slow down your heartbeat when it's too fast by coughing a free times, which is supposed to stimulate vagus nerve as well. It might be getting the calming down effect as well
I tried for the first time, when lying in bed, and it was so effective. I used my pulse and it was 50-60sbpm. I felt the lil hypotension. (That scared me a bit so i drank water lol). It definitely calmed me
This was good! I practice a lot of pranayam and yoga nidra which really gets me out of my head, but the touch really adds a little extra diversion for awareness!